Am already 71; faced 13 elections so far... it’s time to retire: Siddaramaiah

Mangaluru, Jul 23: A nurse who was serving as a frontline COVID warrior at the Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru and has recently tested positive along with her 7-year-old son has complained to the Deputy Commissioner against the harassment meted out by some miscreants who have been spreading false rumours against her.

Health official said that some people in her area have given false complaints against her to government officials thus inflicting mental torture on her and her family.

In her letter, the nurse has stated that the attitude of the people forcing her to consider quitting the job. "I have served the people by treating my work as worship. Anti-social elements have been torturing me now. I am very much hurt," the she said. 

The nurse’s house at Moodbidri has been sealed after she was tested positive. However, her husband and younger child were tested negative.

Bengaluru, Jan 29: The Karnataka unit of BJP has urged the Centre and the State governments to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), accusing them of harbouring terrorist tendencies.

Addressing a press meet, N Ravi Kumar, state general secretary of the party, alleged that there was a nexus between the Congress, the PFI and the SDPI.

“Recent reports have exposed the links between the PFI and the Congress,” he said, accusing Congress leader Kapil Sibal of receiving huge funds from PFI to defend their cases in the Supreme Court.

He also accused the organisations as the ones responsible for the death of 23 Hindu activists in Karnataka. Such incidents have proven that both SDPI and PFI are dubious organisations, he said.

Bengaluru, Jan 8: The second instalment of flood relief funds from the Centre, announced on Monday, has left BS Yediyurappa less than cheerful, with the chief minister insisting that it is barely adequate. The CM on Tuesday said he will urge the Union government to release more.

On Monday, the Centre announced it will release Rs 669.8 crore in addition to the Rs 1,200 crore it had released earlier towards flood relief and rehabilitation. The total sum is a small fraction of the loss, which the government pegged at a staggering Rs 38,000 crore.

“The Centre has released assistance in two instalments so far, but it is inadequate given the magnitude of the damage. I will request for more funds and I am confident the Centre will oblige,” Yediyurappa told reporters.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the state last week, Yediyurappa had urged him — even openly at a function — to release funds. This followed several pleas over the past four months, which barely drew a response from the Centre. Now, the CM himself suggests it’s barely a drop in the ocean.

The opposition has been criticizing both Yediyurappa and the Centre for their handling of the situation and on Tuesday, leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah of the Congress criticised the CM for “misguiding people” on the sum released by the Centre.

Siddaramaiah tweeted, “Reports from State govt officials say only Rs 669 cr of addl funds are released in 2nd instalment as opposed to the claim of Rs 1,870 cr by Karnataka BJP leaders. At a time when manufacturing industries are closing, BJP’s fake news factory is running at full potential ".

In another tweet, he said, “Moved by the plea of chief minister, Yediyurappa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released an additional Rs 669.8 crore, taking the total amount to Rs 1,869.8 crore. BJP leaders, who are devotees of the god of lies, attempts to depict the total relief amount as 1200+1869.85 = Rs 3,069 cr is ridiculous.”

A high-level committee chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah had sanctioned the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) funds on Monday. While the Press Information Bureau claimed Rs 1,869 crore was approved on Monday, state government officials clarified that the figure included the Rs 1,200 crore released in October.

Meanwhile, sources say the two instalments is all the assistance the state can expect from the Centre towards flood relief. Sources say the Rs 1,870 crore is roughly 60% of the funding — Rs 3,000 cr— which was supposed to be allocated for Karnataka, based on an inter-ministerial team’s assessment of losses in the state.

“Compared to other states for the same period, Karnataka has received the highest amount in flood relief. We cannot expect more,” said a revenue department official, who said the government will not approach the Centre for a special package.

However, revenue minister R Ashoka said the state will pitch for the entire Rs 3,000 crore. “The state government will pursue the matter with the Centre until it releases the entire Rs 3,000 crore. The state government will cover the remainder of the Rs 38,000 crore loss. We will not go back on our word,” Ashoka said. Incidentally, the state has spent about Rs 6,000 crore on relief and rehabilitation so far.